My disabled father-in-law was taken via ambulance ...

My disabled father-in-law was taken via ambulance at 9:30pm Sunday night. We were contacted by his senior living home. After calling for several hours trying to find info, my husband and I talked to several unhelpful receptionists who wouldn t put us through to anyone outside of the admin staff-who cannot share any info. Finally, I secured a babysitter and rush the 45minutes to the hospital. Once there I had to wait in the ER waiting room for 25 minutes until I could go back.
The communication while there is fantastic. Perhaps the medical care is as well. The problem is, we could not be with the patient 24/7. My husband was working out of town and I was the only one available and yet I have 2 toddlers.
My FIL was in the ER, neuro ICU, and neuro while there. He was also working the social worker, PT and OT. He is disabled and cannot speak.
I left 3 family members phone numbers on the white boards, requested them to call me whenever there was a change, our numbers are in the chart, and yet not one of us received a call for the duration of his stay. We were not communicated to when he left ICU. We were not communicated with when he finally passed his swallow test. We were not n
Contacted by the social worker who was to find a nursing home for him when he was discharged. Now, he is at the hospital waiting for the social worker to make phone calls for an open bed-why wasn t this done last week?
The kicker is, that even though I would call and request info (and my name is on the chart of people to contact), the medical staff wouldn t share anything. But when a family member who is NOT on the chart and not cleared for medical
Information was visiting-she was told everything. Not his son, not his wife.
While there, medical students, nurses, and other staff would come rushing in to ask questions, I need to know the full extent of his medical history, I need to know his complete seizure history. I need to know x,y, and z. And yet NOBODY picked up the phone to call. Not one. The doctors didn t call. The nurses didn t call. The social worker didn t call. The PT/OT didn t call.
If you are able to be with your family member and speak for them 24/7....perhaps you will think this is a wonderful place. If you are a patient and can speak for yourself, perhaps you will be fine. BUT when the patient is unable to communicate......find a different hospital. This was the absolute worst medical we have ever seen-and this is from a family of a man who was been a stroke patient for 30 years and has 1-3 long stays at a hospital every year.
I hope their policies change. Picking up the phone and communicating with the family of a disabled man who cannot speak for himself or has the cognitive ability to understand what is happening....I mean....shouldn t that be an expectation?